Republican Sen. Ted Cruz declared on Tuesday that “it is time for Texans to get back to work” and warned that if we let the widespread shutdowns drag on, we will see not only more “economic devastation” but major public health consequences.
“We’ve got to deal with the economic devastation of all of the people who are hurting, and I’ll tell you it is it is time for Texans to go back to work,” Cruz said during an interview with Lubbock’s KCBD NewsChannel 11.
He then warned about the devastation — not just economically but in terms of public health — that will occur if we let these mass shutdowns drag on for months.
“If we allow that to turn into months, we’re going to see human lives lost, we’re going to see real devastation, from poverty from dreams shattered from family businesses put out of business from people whose savings are lost,” he said. “And that’s going to lead to mental health issues that’s going to lead to depression, it’s going to lead to substance abuse, it’s going to lead to increased suicide. All of those are very real public health threats as well.”
Cruz argued that in order to protect the sick, the country needs to be reopened.
“That means targeting those sick and those particularly vulnerable to be sick. But it also means helping people be in a position where they can provide for their family and have the security the economic security that comes from that,” he said, according to KCBD.
You can read the full transcript of the interview here.
